Ischemic stroke

• • A type of stroke that occurs when blood clot or fatty plaque blocks a blood vessel in the brain • • Symptoms include drooping muscles on one side of face, numbness or weakness on one side of face or in one arm or leg • • Treatment includes medication, medical procedures, surgical procedures • • Involves stroke center, stroke telemedicine program, neurology, neurosurgery Everyone has heard of In the United States, about 795,000 Americans experience some form of stroke each year, and most of those—about 87%—are ischemic strokes. Strokes are more common among adults aged 65 and older; the risk of stroke increases with age. People who have one stroke are at higher risk of more strokes in the future; about one-quarter of all strokes occur in people who have had one previously. Some people will recover fully from an ischemic stroke. Others will experience disability afterward, and still others will die from the event. Stroke is the fifth-leading cause of death in the U.S., and a leading cause of disability. An ischemic stroke is a life-threatening emergency condition. It arises when blood flow to the brain is blocked by a blood clot or a piece of fatty plaque that has broken off from the inside of a blood vessel. When blood can’t reach brain tissue, the tissue is at risk of being damaged or dying. This is why an ischemic stroke may cause brain damage, disability, or death. In a healthy person, blood flows freely throughout the body, delivering oxygen to different body parts,...

Fatty deposits lining the vessel walls, called atherosclerosis, are the main cause for ischemic stroke. Fatty deposits can cause two types of obstruction: • Cerebral thrombosis is a thrombus (blood clot) that develops at the fatty plaque within the blood vessel. • Cerebral embolism is a blood clot that forms at another location in the circulatory system, usually the heart and large arteries of the upper chest and neck. Part of the blood clot breaks loose, enters the bloodstream and travels through the brain’s blood vessels until it reaches vessels too small to let it pass. A main cause of embolism is an irregular heartbeat called atrial fibrillation. It can cause clots to form in the heart, dislodge and travel to the brain. Silent Stroke You could have a stroke and not know it. Silent cerebral infarction (SCI), or silent stroke, is a brain injury likely caused by a blood clot that interrupts blood flow in the brain. It’s a risk factor for future strokes and a sign of progressive brain damage. Other conditions related to SCI: Atrial fibrillation, the most common irregular heartbeat in people older than 65, increases the risk of SCI more than two-fold. Risk factors for silent stroke are also risk factors for AF. High systolic blood pressure(the top number in a measurement), hypertension and elevated levels of blood homocysteine are risk factors for SCI. So early diagnosis and preventing hypertension are important steps to reduce silent stroke risk.

F.A.S.T. Warning Signs Use the letters in F.A.S.T. to spot a Stroke • F = Face Drooping– Does one side of the face droop or is it numb? Ask the person to smile. Is the person's smile uneven? • A = Arm Weakness– Is one arm weak or numb? Ask the person to raise both arms. Does one arm drift downward? • S = Speech Difficulty– Is speech slurred? • T = Time to Call 911– Stroke is an emergency. Every minute counts. Call 911 immediately. Note the time when any of the symptoms first appear. Other Stroke Symptoms Watch for sudden: • Numbness or weakness of face, arm, or leg, especially on one side of the body • Confusion, trouble speaking or understanding speech • Trouble Seeingin one or both eyes • Trouble Walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination • Severe Headachewith no known cause Un accidente o derrame cerebral ocurre cuando se bloquea el flujo de sangre en las arterias que nutren el cerebro, o cuando ocurre un sangrado en el cerebro mismo o en las membranas que lo rodean. Las mujeres, los hispanos y los afroamericanos en los Estados Unidos tienen mayor riesgo para el accidente o derrame cerebral. Why is knowing F.A.S.T. stroke warning signs important? Stroke is the No. 5 cause of death and a leading cause of disability in the U.S. Stroke can happen to anyone — any age, any time — and everyone needs to know the warning signs. On average, 1.9 million brain cells die every minute that a stroke goes untreated. Stroke is an emergency. Call 911 immediately. Early treatmen...